ECOLOGY Ch. 3: The Biosphere Flora/Wooderson

What is the Biosphere? The Biosphere is the portion of the planet where all of life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere The interactions within the biosphere produce a web of interdependence between organisms and the environment in which they live. To understand these relationships between organisms and their environments we turn to the study of ECOLOGY. Studying ecology helps answer questions important to the survival of all organisms, including humans.

Ecology Ecology: is the study of the interactions between organisms and their environment. Ernst Haeckel coined the term in 1866 from the Greek word “oikos” meaning house. He saw the world as a household with an economy, in which organisms play a role. Nature’s “houses” come in many sizes from single cells to the entire planet.

Ecologists divide nature into two basic parts: living and nonliving Biotic: Living Abiotic: Nonliving Sunlight Water Temperature Soil chemistry Oxygen Plants Animals Fungi Bacteria Protists Key theme of Ecology: Any living thing is affected by and responds to both biotic and abiotic parts of its environment.

Levels of Organization All matter is composed of Atoms, which combine to form Molecules. Molecules assemble to form Organelles, which make up Cells. Cells form Tissues, which form Organs Different organs work together to form Organisms (where Ecologists become interested)

Levels of Organization Continued Organisms are single living things. This is also called Species, which is a group so similar they can breed and produce fertile offspring. A group of the same species is a Population. Communities are different populations that live together in a defined area. An Ecosystem is a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place with their living and non-living environment.

Levels Continued A Biome is a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities. The highest level of organization that ecologists study is the entire Biosphere itself. Biosphere is 8 km above earth’s surface, and 11 km below it

Ecological Methods 3 Basic Approaches to conducting ecological research. All of these rely on the application of scientific methods to guide ecological inquiry. Observing: the 1st step, to form questions Experimenting: used to test the hypothesis Modeling: make models to gain insight into complex phenomena. Also use mathematical formulas based on data collected to make predictions.